Why returning to the Vikings was an easy decision for Harrison Smith

As his eyes welled up with tears after the Vikings lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the playoffs Harrison Smith looked very much like somebody who might be ready to hang up the cleats for good Not quite Though his emotions in that moment might ve suggested otherwise Smith explained on Monday afternoon at TCO Performance Center that he was in fact pretty sure at the time that he was going to delay retirement once more and return to the Vikings I think it was something I possibly struggled less with than the year prior Smith noted I kind of had a feeling when it ended like This perhaps isn t the last time I ll put on pads The sadness that Smith was feeling after the Vikings lost to the Rams had less to do with his own personal journey in the NFL and more to do with the unbreakable bond he had built with so a multitude of players in the locker room It was as close of a gang as he has been a part of in his career so as he stood there alongside Cam Bynum and Josh Metellus in the immediate aftermath he allowed himself to mourn the loss in real time You re never going to get that group of guys together again Smith revealed I didn t want to take away from that at the time Not necessarily enjoy it because it wasn t enjoyable Just desired to have particular level of appreciation for it Ultimately the decision to return to the Vikings became official last month when the -year-old safety agreed to a new deal that will pay him million with incentives that could bring his total up million Why did he decide to come back Well aside from having a good relationship with both Kevin O Connell and Brian Flores and wanting to continue to work closely with them Smith contemplated his future by asking himself a minimal questions It wasn t much more than Do I feel good enough to play Do I think I can contribute at a high level Does the gang still want me ' Smith disclosed Those were all things I came to an answer pretty quick on It also helped that Smith saw a clear pathway to the Vikings being competitive as he continues to chase that elusive Super Bowl He made that determination before the Vikings went out and spent in the upwards of million in free agency to add talent on both sides of the ball It looks pretty outstanding on paper Smith explained We ve done ourselves a few favors to have a chance here As he conversation continued about him deciding to come back for Year it was only a matter of time before somebody requested the question What about Year We got a lot to do this year Smith mentioned with a laugh That s all I care about Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith during warmups before the start of a NFL football contest against the Houston Texans at U S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday Sept John Autey Pioneer Press Related Articles J J McCarthy has no limitations as Vikings begin offseason campaign Vikings mock draft Will they contract back or take best member available How will the Vikings approach the NFL Draft Aaron Rodgers waiting on Vikings Not accurate he says Everything you need to know about the Vikings ahead of the NFL Draft